


The Lost Prince

by RenEmrys



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Amnesiac Lance (Voltron), BAMF Keith (Voltron), BAMF Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) Has Abandonment Issues, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance (Voltron) Has Magic, M/M, Prince Lance (Voltron), Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:01:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26659387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RenEmrys/pseuds/RenEmrys
Summary: The Kingdom he came from was beautiful, but he couldn't remember at first. The only thing he knew was he woke up in a cave, wandered out to find he was behind a waterfall in a forest, and had no idea where he was otherwise. But he would search. Search for what? He had no idea.Lance wakes up with no memories of his life except for flashes. He has questions he needs answers to and things to do. But first he has to find somewhere to stay. Queue in Keith living by himself on the edge of the city, and Lance having enough luck to find it. But what is that thing that is talking out of a box?!
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am absolutely, positively new at writing. Hope you like this and enjoy. Also I have plenty of drafts for this story for me to actually finish it but with life happening it might take me a bit to do so. Sorry in advance.

There was once a story, wondrous and enchanting, that was told to children before sweet dreams were attempted. A riveting tale of a country with land so beautiful that all your fears would be relieved and your dreams fulfilled. That you could find happiness and peace to live out your life in. That no one person would live in poverty and no soul hurt for the sake of wealth. This otherworldly land was called Varadero, which was a country with sights and scenery unlike any other. 

The people who inhabited the country were rich with beauty beyond imagination and compassion which extended to all beings. They were told in stories to have magic in their souls, science in their blood, and never ending love in their hearts. They were whispered to be at the top in intelligence, in bravery, in athletics, and in morals.

It was said that in the middle of this splendid land, there was a castle with a royal family ruling with all that was just and fair. The ruling family was rumored to be even more stunning and capable of even the most unimaginable deeds. More so than the normal Varidians. Their magic was fabled to be at the peak in strength, on par with gods of many religions. But they were too compassionate and loving towards others in the world, and did not see the envy before it was too late.

\-- 10,000 years ago--

Prince Laceilo was unsure if he was in a well hidden spot. He had searched for ages and had finally settled in his current position. Hidden in a small closet, panic gripped him as he was waiting for the sound of footsteps to catch up to the concealed location. He was hoping they would pass by, that he would remain unnoticed. His heart was thumping, his hands shaking, and sweat dripping down his brow. He could not get caught, for he would surely pay.

Then, as time seemed to slow, he heard the tap of shoes. He stopped breathing hoping for them to pass. The sound got closer, and closer, until he could feel the energy of the presence on the other side of the door. He could feel their life pulsing, could hear their breath pass into the open. He had been so close to safety.

The door was wrenched open by only the most evil of beings.

“Found you Uncle Lai!” said the demon with a large smile.

Laceilo laughed at the small child bouncing on their bright blue shoes. “Yeah, I guess you did! And I thought I found a place you would never look.” He slowly moved into the hallway that the closet was connected to.

“I can find you no matter what! I’m the best at hide and hunt!” The child exclaimed while they put the hands on their hips, surely trying to imitate their mother in that aspect.

He had offered to play with his nephew earlier that morning, and just an hour before their game was he actually able to do so. He felt bad but he still needed to do his duties. Laceilo examined the young prince, feeling like he was viewing his own image. His nephew took after him in many ways, his personality being one of them.

Being from his sister, the kid was of course as pretty as her. He was fairly tall for being 5 decaphoebs. Stunning sapphire eyes infused with wisps of green, hair as white as any speck of snow you might see on the cold cycle, and a smile meant for mischievousness that just came in the family line at this point. 

He looked like the whole Varidan royal family, but mostly like Laceilo. Having his personality was just a bonus in his eyes. With how much his sister Vera loved him, he’s not surprised that his nephew was named similarly to him. Luis was a good name to follow him. Though when he gets older, he’ll have to be told there’s only one Loverboy in the family and that’s Laceilo. 

Luis was a hyper ball of energy and sunshine that loved any time spent with his uncle. Laceilo felt bad that he didn’t have much time to play with him anymore, not with the enormous amount of lessons his parents have thrown him into as of late. So many that he barely had time to even take a stroll when the sun started rising, like he used to attempt every morning.

The prince knew why they were pushing him lately, but he wished he could spend his days running with Luis. He missed the baking sessions, trying to teach Luis (and himself) how to make their favorite sweets. He missed bringing Luis to pamper the dragons and their whelps, maybe even getting a nap in under the dragon pile. Most of all he missed meandering the market with Luis, with all the city folk smiling and laughing by the colorful flowers that lined the street. 

“Well now that you found me I’ll take the punishment.” Laceilo dramatically crumbled to the floor, ready for the harsh loss from his nephew. 

“I want to ride on top!”  
“On my shoulders?”

“Yes! Yes, yes ,YES!”

Laceilo chuckled, moving to pick up the energetic beast. “Alright, alright. Calm down a little or you’ll get too tired and we can’t run to the stables to see Blue.”

Getting the child on his shoulders took almost no effort, not hesitating to whip him off the floor and over his head. Luis not giving an answer, just pouting up top with a little mumbling involved. Laceilo started walking through the hallway towards the left side of the castle where the stables were. It had been a movement since the prince was able to get any time with his nephew, and that had been after a long argument with his tutor. 

“Do you think Blue will let us see Seabone?” Luis had whispered in the prince’s hair.

“I’m sure Blue will. She let us doze with them last time, I don’t see why she would mind now.”

Laceilo could feel the kid contemplate that, and continued on their way. Almost halfway there already, now outside and walking down the stone path leading to a gigantic stone building. Hey, there was a lot of stone. Of course there was. The building held dragons who could produce fire from their lovely maws of death. It was almost a no-brainer.

Heading to the side of the building, there was an open gate to the stable pasture that stretched for a far distance. Enough space given how big these creatures were. Speaking of creatures, a giant silver beast starts barreling towards the two princes. Laceilo twitched for a tic, ready to run and get out of the way in order to prevent broken bones.

‘Wouldn’t I know, with how many times that’s happened.’ He thought that with how often he’s had to heal his own shattered arm, one would hope they learned a lesson. Not him.

“Blue! Careful please, I’ve got goods to protect!” Laceilo shouted, hoping to prevent a beating from his sister if Luis got injured. Not that he wouldn’t move enough in front of his nephew so that Laceilo would get maimed instead. He was ready to throw a child any moment now.

The silver dragon gradually came to a stop in front of the two princes, just close enough to huff some air and blow their hair back a little. A shadow streaked out from behind Blue’s wings, darting across the little bit of room in between Blue and the princes. The shadow tackled them both, and wetness could be felt on Laceilo’s face.

“AH! Seabone quit! Your tongue feels so weird!” Laceilo screeched, with Luis giggling above him. Both were now pinned to the ground by Seabone’s paws, murdered by dragon kisses.

“Seabone! Wait, I want to give you a hug first! Uncle Lai can hug you after!” Luis was still giggling while trying to wiggle away from Laceilo’s shoulders, inching towards the dragon whelp.

Seabone moved forward in a heartbeat to the tiny child after thoroughly licking the older prince’s face, stepping on Laceilo’s collar bone in the mean time to descend upon the little demon of a nephew. Laceilo wheezed from the weight of the whelp and attempted to push Seabone off, wishing for a little air to breathe.

‘Seras, how do you even feel that heavy! Oh and now I’m going to be paste on the ground.’ 

Laceilo could feel his body giving up as Blue put her whole paw on his chest, and an even bigger tongue on his cheek. He would never be able to move her even if he tried. The prince just hoped Luis wouldn’t be pulverised after Blue was finished with him. He wouldn’t be able to face Vera in the Void afterwards.

“Blue, I’m kind of dying.” He could only squeak out enough air to finish the last word, but by then the paw had retreated from his dying form. The prince lay for a tic, hoping for peace and a little more lung action. Oh yeah, nothing beats breathing. 

“Are we going to play Uncle Lai?”

“Can we play after? Maybe we could nap with Blue and Seabone. You know Seabone likes to cuddle.”

Sticking out his bottom lip to pout a tad, Luis sat thinking about it as he stared at the whelp. “Fine. But then you have to play more with me tomorrow!”

“Alright Dew Drop, I can do that.” ‘Maybe. Hopefully.’

Trying to arrange a massive dragon and their whelp was difficult. Add in a squirming Varidian? Even more of a challenging task. By the time they were all settled, Luis and Seabone had been half-dozing already, Blue fast on their tail.

As the prince lay there, listening to his nephew’s quiet breathing, he thought about how nice it was to get a break. Of course with that line of thought, he jinxed his relaxful lounging on the grass in his dragon pile.

“And this is where you two decided to disappear to again?” A smooth voice that had seemingly appeared from nowhere leered from by his side.

“Seras Vera! Don’t scare me like that!” Laceilo whisper shouted, trying not to wake the whole dragon pile. So far just Laceilo was awake.

“Well you two left the castle, and I needed to give you a message.”

“A message? From who?” He squinted at her. She wouldn’t find him for just nobody. She knows how hard it was to get the afternoon off to see Luis.

“From Mom and Dad. They want to see you in the meeting hall. Wouldn’t tell me why.”

He stopped and stared at her. Needed him? For what? This would not be good news or they would have waited til the evening meal. This was not boding well for him.

“Alright, I’ll head there now. Could you let Dew Drop here know where I left to?”

“Yes, I will. I can’t believe you still get away with calling him that. He almost bit his dad for saying it the other day.” She snickered into her palm, eying Laceilo as he worked his way out of the pile and off the ground.

“That’s because I’m his favorite! He loves me more than Rion!” Laceilo gloated as he went treading through the grass towards the open gate.

“Yeah, Yeah. We all know this. I still don’t understand why though, but oh well.”

Laceilo just smiled and kept walking as he thought about what she said. How would he know why he was the favorite? He just was, no reason attached. 

As he picked up his pace he tried preparing himself for the conversation he was heading towards, which was sure to bring disaster. He had such an awful feeling about it he had taken to rubbing his thumb over the jewel around his neck for comfort. 

The jewel had a cobalt luster surrounding it, and with the sun still beaming down on him, it was an absolutely breathtaking shade of blue. He smiled as he looked down at it. His life, his being, his soul. That’s what this gem was. It was called their Drop, for a drop of their soul. Every royal had one to help with their magic since the bloodline was so powerful. The jewel was used to house half with him and a matching jewel was kept in the castle to house the other half until his body could handle that amount of magic.

He apparently zoned out looking at his Drop until he reached the meeting hall. He gulped as he reached for the handle and opened the door. Peeking Inside he saw his parents sitting side by side at the meeting table. They had worried brows and frowns at the ready. His mother looked like she had even shed a few tears.

This was not going to be fun.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured out how to put the ? on the chapter point :)  
> Also there are swears.  
> Seras = Fuck  
> Ravok = Shit  
> Vicna = Hell

He was right. As usual. The meeting was not fun. In fact, it was awful. He was devastated and was really hoping they were joking. Of course they wouldn’t joke about something like this. They loved him too much to joke about something so cruel.

They were marrying him off to the Galra.

Of course he had nothing against the Galra. In fact, he might have been interested. But he wasn’t, because at heart he was a romantic. And an arranged marriage for politics? Not romantic in the least. And of course he couldn’t say no because he was the youngest member of the family and the only one not married.

He could not possibly be more depressed about this meeting.

“Dear, when you go to meet your partner, you will have to partake in their marriage tradition.” His mother said that way too calmly for the anxiety that he felt spike in his body.

“You mean to tell me, that I have to fight against my future partner’s guards in the arena. And then go climb a mountain? For a partner I didn’t pick?” Laceilo could hear how shrill his tone had gone.

“It won’t be that bad dear. We have had you trained to do multiple things successfully. Do not fret about the tasks, as you are more than capable.” 

“I am not worried about the tasks! More than that I have to do these tasks for some unknown partner who sounds like they won’t be doing our traditions!”

His father finally spoke up, “Laceilo. You have no choice. We have no choice. If it did not come to this, then we would not have had to ask you. We tried our best, but without going to war over something so trivial as to what they are saying, then this marriage needs to happen.” He took a breath and stared Laceilo down. “I love you, Laceilo. However, we cannot go to war. We are not doing so for their reasoning, so I am sorry.”

Laceilo was hunched over in his chair, thinking about what he could do. But there was nothing. Nothing to save him from a loveless marriage. Not without it hurting home.

He was stuck. 

“You will be going tomorrow to Daibazaal to meet your future partner. The wedding will not be until next month, so you may come back before then. Pack what you need tonight. Leave early at dawn. Goodnight Son.” His father rose from the table and proceeded to leave the room behind. And his crestfallen son.

His mother waited until the door fully closed, a thud resounding throughout the space, “I am sorry, my Laceilo. I did try to persuade him for this to happen in some other way.”

He sat there unresponsive.

She sighed and moved to get up.

“Can I leave my Drop here after marriage?” He finally croaked out.

She paused in her motions to leave, and nodded. “I do not see why you couldn’t.”

He gave a small dip of his head and fumbled to move from his chair for a moment. He had to leave. He needed the peace of his room. Of his Drop.

As soon as he was up, he sped to the doors. He had to move fast. He could not afford to break down now. Not out of his space. Next thing he knew, he was already at his chamber doors. He quickly entered and closed the door. Now he was safe. He could cry now that he was unseen in his own fortress of a room.  
The tears scalded his face as he thought about what was happening. There was no other way around the issue. He had to marry an unknown partner. He stumbled further into the room, and was looking for his Drop. His room was large, made up of blues and sea greens. A fairly large canopy bed lay against the middle of the far wall, and on the right wall was a shimmering glass door that led to a small personal garden.

He wasn’t there for any of that though. He wanted his Drop that hung in a see-through cube with small etchings of flowers carved into it. The cube sat upon the top of his dresser, which laid near the outside door. Bright evening meal sunlight poured through the door and the few windows. The cube reflected beams of sunlight off of its polished gleam. His Drop lay inside, glowing vibrant shades of blue, and pulsing with the magic infused from him. 

He staggered to the shining cube, enchanted by the sight of the peace it held for him. He knew that he would be safe for as long as his Drop stayed intact. Drops were extremely important to Varidians, as most of them had too much magic flowing through their bodies when young. Drops were a safety precaution so no person would overload their bodies, not until they were old enough to handle such energy. The downside is that a Drop was connected to the life force of the owner. A common age to retrieve a Drop would be 20 decaphoebs. 

The royal family was different. Varidians lived long lives, so long that they don’t have a recorded natural death. The oldest person in the kingdom was an elder seer, kind and giving even with the 316 long decaphoebs fighting against her. However due to such long lives, the Varidians had plenty of time to hone their body and skills, and learn to control the magic they still possessed before being given their Drop.

The royal family was only allowed their Drop after 25 decaphoebs at the earliest time. It had never been recorded of one being given their Drop before that age. It would be too dangerous, as the magic they carry could level mountains, destroy forests, and devastate the sea. The Varidians were not fools hungry for power, so they wait. Wait for the time they are reunited with themselves fully.

A Drop was hazardous to anyone unrelated to whom it belonged. To bring a Drop anywhere away from family was disastrous, for greedy beings could use a Drop for strength beyond belief. Drops were only rumors and stories in other countries, as a safety measure. The Varidians were kind, wise, and peaceful. Others? Not so much.

Laceilo would never put his loved ones in harm's way, so he would keep his Drop in the castle. He did not trust his future partner around his life nor his magic. He gently caressed the cube, knowing it was just his other half. 

He sighed and shuffled around the room to start packing. He told himself after a few quintants of staying at Daibazaal he would be leaving to come back home to Varadero. He did not want to be gone in the first place, but he would take it with a positive outlook. At least he got to travel. The prince loved traveling, but usually was not allowed to go without one of his parents. Despite being a grown 19 decaphoebs old which was an adult in other countries eyes, he was but a measly child in the eyes of Varidians.

As he packed he thought about what to expect from the journey he would be setting off on. An adventure by himself, maybe a couple guards, but no parent. He is unsure on how much he will actually appreciate the silence of no people. The prince always preferred to be with at least one other being.

With packed bags waiting near the door for the morning, he decided he was not hungry enough to attend the evening meal. He was still too upset from the meeting before. A thought appeared and he smirked to himself. He would make to grab his blades and quite possibly his alchemy bag. He would not leave himself unguarded on his journey nor in this new country, or all of his lessons would be for naught.

After making sure he placed those extra items in another satchel, he went to relax on his bed. He would just sleep for now, as to not be lethargic and unprepared for the morning. He curled up under his soft blanket and slowly shut his eyes. He would be ok. He would make it. Even with a fight, he will come out on top.

The next time he awoke, it was already the beginning of dawn. The sun was barely peeking out from the horizon, bringing with it a warm glow. He settled where he was for a tic, just breathing in the fresh air. He thought on how leaving like this will surely make his nephew cry. For a moment he truly wished he could stay home and spend his days making memories with Luis. Then he steeled himself for the oncoming quintant. It was time for the adventure of a lifetime, even if it had an unfortunate ending.

Sure enough, as he made his way towards the entrance of the castle he could already see his nephew, who shouldn’t be awake at this time. Luis was sniffling, tears streaming down his cheeks, lower lip jutting out in a frown. He looked so pitiful, and the sight hurt his heart having to see the little prince like that. Standing next to Luis was, of course, Vera. Well, Ravok.

For the life of Laceilo, he could not understand why Vera felt the need to make this exceedingly more miserable for him. He loved his nephew. More than anything else, but Laceilo hated seeing him cry. He was hoping to just leave with no send off party and come home in less than a movement.

Vera glanced up from her child, who was almost sobbing at this point, and her eyes glared at him. “Laceilo. Did you really believe we wouldn’t see you off?”

The prince curled into himself for a moment, not saying anything for she was right. Other than hoping they wouldn’t come, there was also a doubt in the back of his mind that they would not care.

“Wipe that pitiful expression off your face. Of course we came to see you leave.” She tugged Luis a tad bit closer to Laceilo. “I would never let you forget this if you had left without saying anything.”

The prince glanced at his nephew, feeling awful that he was just going to leave. But he hated people crying over him even more. He crouched down to his nephew's height, and reached out to ruffle his hair. “I am sorry, Little Dew Drop. I’m hoping to be back in less than a movement. I didn’t want to you think this was goodbye forever.”

Luis sniffled, the snot sounding disgusting. “But you can’t just leave without saying goodbye! What if you never come back Uncle Lai?” He had more tears starting up.

“I’ll come back, Little Dew Drop. Nothing could keep me away from you. We’ll be back to playing in no time.” As he continued to ruffle the little prince’s hair, he sought out Vera’s eyes. “Thanks for seeing me off Vera. Take care of things till I come home.”

“I will Laceilo, you have my word. Now don’t you have to be on the move?” She jerked her in the direction of the road leading out of the castle grounds.

Laceilo nodded to her, removing his hands from his nephew’s hair. “Yeah, I’ll be going now. I’m leaving my Drop for you here. If you need anything, just ping me.” 

After her acknowledgement, he started to turn towards the road. He waved back to Luis who was going crazy with how fast he was waving him off. Laceilo could hear the good lucks and encouragements as he kept moving. He would miss them for the short time he was gone. He hoped Luis didn’t know about the possibility of Laceilo having to move away. Oh that would break both of their hearts.

He had been walking towards the stables for his ride to Daibazaal, almost in a trance. The air was peaceful, the birds chirping, the sun bright and warm. When he made it to the stables he pondered about how he was getting to Daibazaal. Seeing there were no guards, he had three choices. Take a dragon, which was not a good idea as they were extinct everywhere else so no one can know they exist. Walk the whole way, which would be insane and he isn’t entirely stupid. Or take a horse. 

See the thing was, Varadero didn’t have normal horses. They had Sprowans. He had never seen them in any other country, so he always assumed they just weren’t. But no royal from another wanted them dead, unlike dragons. Sprowans were a hybrid between the mythical cosmic wolf and a dragon. They looked cool as Ravok, but he never once wanted to ask how they came to be. 

‘That pairing is a weird and terrifying thought’

His only real choice to continue his journey would be to get a Sprowan. He had wished to take Blue along, but again, can’t take a dragon. So he would have to hunt down Aegan. Aegan was a joy to his world, his greatest companion for traveling. His Sprowan always came along whenever Laceilo left the castle, even if only to visit the market. It really shouldn’t be too difficult to find him.

Next thing he realized, he was on the ground covered in heaps of seafoam fur. Blue had suffocated him yester-quintant, but apparently another attempt on his life was going to happen this quintant. The giant bundle of fur lifted off of him (before he started wheezing), and out popped into view a snout of the Sprowan. Aegan was an absolutely stunning color of seafoam to streaks of misty black. His eyes were a pale yellow with edges of green, and ears tipped in silver. But the most noticeable feature he had was his wings. Wings that were also a similar color to his body, but they had more silver thrown in. Their length spanned across his back almost two whole Laceilos. 

Oh, did he forget to mention? Sprowans were just half the size of an adult dragon. Which was massive in itself. Aegan passed him in height by a head or two. Despite being so large, Aegan was an absolute sweetheart.

“Oh you sweet thing! You just wanted some love huh? Oh yes you did!” Laceilo loved to spoil his beautiful baby boy. Aegan was a gift and he sure as Seras would feel like it. “Alright lovely, we have an adventure to head off on!”

He could feel the air pressure from Aegan wagging his fluffy(and soft as Vicna)tail, and feeling his hair whip around. Of course his love was ready to run. He picked himself off the ground, trying to move around all that fluff. It somewhat worked. All he needed to start off was to get Aegan suited up for flight. He made his way to the inside of the stone stable, and tried to find his favorite saddle. It was in the far corner of the building, just barely in view.

He grabbed the saddle, making sure the stirrups were there as well, and he ventured back towards his Sprowan. He laughed as he watched from afar as Aegan was practically vibrating in excitement. He picked up his pace a little to reach Aegan, and started to attempt the process of calming him down. 

“Please stop moving. We can’t leave if I can’t get this on you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Aegan had halted to an immediate stop. Suddenly still enough for Laceilo to begin attaching the saddle, the work was quick and smooth. His Aegan was the best Sprowan in the kingdom and he would fight anyone who told him otherwise.

“Alright love, let’s get on to our adventure.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am awful at writing. And staying on task.

Laceilo was already tired by the time the sun was at the top of the sky. He had eaten a snack when the two had left, after he had attached all of his bags to the saddle. Aegan could handle a lot of extra weight due to his size. Flying never affected how much he could carry either. 

Anyway, he was tired. He normally would be in the middle of a lesson, maybe sparring or perhaps technique training. So not having to do any of those tasks made him want to take an opportune nap at this time. He wouldn’t, but he sure contemplated it. 

“Do you think we’ll be there in the next quintant or so?”

Silence answered his question for the longest time, until a short huff was given to him.

“Alright, so if it is another quintant, can we make camp in a short while so I can maybe take a nap?”

A rumble was all that he replied with. So camp it was. Soon, as the sun was slowly starting to set, Laceilo could feel the wind shift as they were descending towards the ground. Aegan brought them in at an angle and all too quickly they had touched down on a worn path. The path seemed to be in the middle of a forest, dark greens and vibrant reds all around. 

He took stock of the area they landed, trying to find a good section to laze on. A soft seeming patch of grass and moss were to the side of the path, more than likely a frequent rest area for weary travelers. Laceilo motioned for Aegan to rest in that spot, and Laceilo would grab the pack holding his furs and blanket.

As he searched for the right pack he noticed one of them wriggling slightly. He sure hoped they didn’t catch a bird while flying. It has happened before. He doesn’t want a repeat. He reached out to grasp the handle of the pack, but his vision was covered by something. 

Something that came out of his pack. Oh please not a bird.

Oh Seras it was worse.

Pulling the thing off of his face, he sighed in anguish. Staring back at him was Seabone. How did the little thing even fit in there? He may have said little thing, but for a dragon whelp? They were not little in the slightest. Seabone was probably a tad bit bigger than Luis, who was 5.

He scrutinized the whelp, could see some guilt in those crimson eyes.

“Do you have any defense?” Silence.

“Any reason I shouldn’t travel back and drop you off with your mother?” Pleading eyes only.

“I am so mad, but you are so cute! Do you know how much trouble you are in sir?”

Laceilo huffed. There was no way he would have enough time to travel back to the castle and then back to Daibazaal. He would have to wait until he was done with his duties in Daibazaal before he could even think of returning.

“You are in so much trouble. It’s no wonder you and Luis are joined at the hip.” Not like he could really talk, but he never got in much trouble. Anymore. “Alright fine. You can stay, but be forewarned that there will be consequences when we get back to the castle.”

Seabone gave a quiet chirp and squiggled until the prince had no choice but to let go. The whelp quickly took off to Aegan’s front, and dove under his chest. That brat! He let it go for now, as he didn’t want to spend much time arguing with a child. Dragon child. He slowly turned once more to find the right pack, since he was distracted in the middle of the task.

It took a few tries til he found the correct pack, and he removed it from the attachments. It was a little more time to set it all up, but by the time he was done, his stomach was growling. A small blush took place on his cheeks as Aegan had turned to stare at him. How did a Sprowan learn to judge like that?

“Oh hush you! It’s been a while since I ate!”

He pouted as he set up his resting area, making sure each fur was set up just right. He had issues with his bedding when it was all messed up. It just made him antsy and irritated. 

“Do you want to cuddle, Aegan?” 

Aegan’s tail did a small little wag, and then he maneuvered his massive body to surround Laceilo’s furs. Laceilo could see Seabone dart out from underneath the hulking mass and dive right back into Aegan’s side fluff. The Sprowan eyed Seabone and huffed once, laying his head down on his paws. His wings were pulled up against him, and his tail curled towards his middle.

“You are THE best! I’m going to be so warm! And you are so soft!” Laceilo giggled, always loving when Aegan would share his space with him.

Laceilo grabbed his favorite fur, and curled up near Aegan’s middle making sure to get comfortable. With the soft fur covering him, Aegan’s fluff surrounding him, and Seabone who came to settle against the prince’s side, he was out cold in doboshes.

\-----------------------------

He was dreaming. Floating serenely through a gray descending abyss. He could see specks of light throughout the abyss, a few bigger specks of light scattered around his vision. He knew he was dreaming, but he had never seen this before. He felt like he could think coherently, like he was awake. 

He felt his heart twinge, like someone had reached into his chest and laid their hand on his heart. They were just holding, then squeezing it and twisting it in their grasp. It hurt. Why was he hurting? This was a dream. He should not be hurting.

He could feel tears running down his face. Why was he crying? He did not remember any sad things that happened? All he knew was today had been a great day, so why was he crying? 

He could hear screams. Hoarse voices were calling his name, over and over again. He could not recognize them at first. He knew who they were, but he could not remember who they belonged to. Who was calling for him so desperately? Their voices had anguish and sorrow. Sorrow for what? Or who? 

Crying. Why was there crying? Cries for help. Who needed help? Did they need help from him? He did not know who needed help. Or how to help them. Was he any help at all? He wanted to help. Every fiber of his soul wanted to help. He could not remember now who needed help. He could not remember where he had been before. 

Why could he not remember?

\-----------------------------

He was slowly losing warmth. No longer could he feel his fingers or toes. His arms ached from the lack of heat. His heartbeat slowed down until it was barely there. A thump that was scarcely heard.

His body was freezing as he slipped into a light doze.

He was so tired. And so, so cold.


	4. A Hope?

Keith was never one for company. Unless it came in the form of his dog (‘Wolf! It’s a fucking wolf, Keith!” Cried Pidge), his brother and his fiance, and his two childhood best friends. Sure, he’ll talk to his coworkers and stuff. Otherwise? He didn’t like people, at all. He didn’t care if they were friendly or not. He just didn’t like people.

Since he just didn’t like people, he lived out of town in a decently sized forest (“I’ve gotten lost on my way to your front door, you Dickweed!” Again. Pidge). The forest had a winding river towards the middle that was surrounded by trees and flowers creeping nearby. Keith’s house wasn’t too far into the forest no matter what Pidge said. His house was kinda large surprisingly, though he didn’t understand why anyone built such a big house out here. He knew the realtor said all the past owners left because they thought the land and house were haunted. Well, at least Pidge liked the supernatural.

The house had four bedrooms that could fit a king bed and extra furniture each. Three full bathrooms with one on the first floor and two on the second. The house had a wide open living room with a fireplace and two floor to ceiling windows, a decked out kitchen complete with an island counter, a fully finished basement, and a two car garage.

Definitely large. But it was very cheap, so he didn’t care about the supposed ghosts. Not that he would care if there really were any. Maybe their company wouldn’t suck as much as normal people. Whatever. All he needed was Cosmo. And his chickens. Knives, Darkness, Abyss, and Sugar (Named by sweet ol’ Hunk) were allowed too. A lot of the forest animals would come by for some loving pats and food so he wasn’t lonely. Not at all.

Ok maybe a little. 

Keith just didn’t want to admit it. If he admitted he was slightly lonely then Shiro would pester him about moving back into the engaged couples apartment. He liked his friends and family, but he didn’t want to bother them. They had their own things in town to do and why they had to stay there. That and he refused to listen to Shiro and Adam get down and dirty. Too many times has he been traumatized. 

Besides, he had so many bedrooms for his friends to stay in when they came out for a break from the city. There was almost too much room for just him to occupy them himself. At least he had plenty of room for all his gear. And any animals he chose to let recuperate inside. Animals didn’t shake in his presence. Hell, they even liked him.

The property his house was placed on was gigantic. Cosmo had a ton of grass to bolt around on, with the woods behind to that he hunted in often (Cosmo loved to bring him rabbits and other creatures, which he would skin and use the meat for meals). The chickens roamed the property often. Keith was never worried about them going missing or being killed for his girls were spitfires.

He had a chicken coop built in the back (with the help of Shiro) that had plenty of space for his girls, a wooden shed with a tin roof to store kindle and firewood, another wooden shed for tools and gardening supplies, a greenhouse for year round use, and a medium sized garden for the warm seasons. He did all of the upkeep himself, including the care of the garden. He kept things up to date as much as he could, though he was gone in the city for work more often than he would have liked. He had a job at a mechanic shop at the edge of the city, where he worked with Coran (as he was the owner). 

He tried to invite his friends and stuff over as much as possible. Any get-togethers were done at his place, especially with all this extra space. With Keith being out this far he also never really had any opportunities for dating, and he didn’t enjoy trying to find guys to come out to his house. So he hasn’t been with a cute guy for awhile. Didn’t want to even try. It was hard to find a guy as nice as he is cute. Shiro and Adam were always trying to set him up with somebody, but it never worked out (A.K.A it was absolutely disastrous).

It was the usual morning routine. Get up, make some breakfast (unlike Shiro, he could cook). He would get Cosmo his food, then went out to feed his girls. The chickens could easily murder Keith with fury and he was super proud of that fact. Shiro told him they would kill him if he ever missed feeding time. He would accept death from them.

After making sure there were no more hungry stomachs, he would start tending to the garden. He had planted some things already, and had more to work on now that the weather was finally a steady warm. Keith would go check the greenhouse afterwards. 

He had been having a quiet day. One of the more peaceful ones in fact. It was a warm mid morning in the beginning of May. Sunlight beamed through the few clouds in the sky. The birds were chirping, the rush of water could be heard through the trees, and Cosmo was running back and forth in the lawn as Keith checked out the garden. 

He wasn’t expecting all the drama that was going to happen.

\-----------------------------

Drip. Drip. Drip.

It was cold. Frost could be felt on his bare arms. Freezing digits twitched faintly.

Drip. Drip.

Why was it so cold? The air was damp all around him. Another twitch, more violent than the last.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Ice pierced through his bones. He felt like they were shattering. His muscles throbbed under his skin, skin that felt like it was being peeled off. 

Limbs pulsed with slush filled waters, gradually warming. Heartbeat picking up in speed, blood flowing.

His body hurt. Pain flashed in increments. Wait… he was in pain? Why was his body in pain?

He wrenched his aching body up in a flash, a cry of anguish on his tongue. Eyes tightly closed as he sat up fully, pain ricocheting through his veins. He stayed still for moments as he tried to breathe. He needed to breathe, but he couldn’t. His lungs were struggling to move. Too frozen yet to function. 

He moved his hand to thump against his chest. The slight hit sparked his lungs to move and he gulped in fresh air. He felt like he had nearly drowned. He hissed out a laugh over the thought. Him drowning? No way. 

….But he didn’t know why he thought that. He didn’t know why he was so confident in the thought that he couldn’t drown. The thought that he was almost as capable of swimming as a fish that has lived in water its whole life. He was freaking himself out now. His thoughts were running rampant, but on things that were making no sense.

Focusing on taking in air was his first priority. After a few tics of taking time to stop panicking, he tried to think about what he knew. Everything in his head blanked for several moments. Finally, after a while, letters were slowly forming. 

L? Something with an L. Lon? No, that sounds awful. Lane? What was he, a road? Leon? That did not sound right either.

It took him name after name to get something that sounded even remotely close to correct.

Lance? …..Lance? That sounded right, if only barely off kilter. Definitely wasn’t on the nose, but good enough until he could play this guessing game with himself again later on when he had less pressing matters. He nodded to himself a little, wincing at the creak in his stiff neck.

Lance(?) was now realizing he hadn’t even taken stock of his surroundings. A small voice in the back of his head was whispering to him that he was a fool. That he could have died due to him not paying attention. He relaxed his body as much as possible, focusing on his senses even though he could still feel pain lingering under his skin. 

Wherever he was, it was cold. Damp. He could feel bits of water on his body. Hair was sticking to his head, halfway soaked. Clothes clung to his skin, freezing where they lay. He could feel the smooth stone underneath him. Cold to the touch, almost violently so.

The fragrance of flowers seemed to seep out from the stone all around. Water mist could be felt in his lungs. The air smelt crisp. He felt like he was near the sea. But there was no salt in the air. So he wasn’t in a cave near the sea.

He could hear water dripping nearby, the sounds at the beginning of his waking. Could hear the roaring of a larger pool of water. Perhaps a river? Or a waterfall? He strained his ears some more, making out the sounds of…. Breathing? How did he not notice that beforehand?!

Lance peeled open his eyes and felt some gross crust on them, telling him it has been a long slumber. He took in the environment around him. The sight took all the breath he had away. 

He had worked so hard to be able to breathe again too. 

Stone walls enclosed him in a space full to the brim of shining flowers. There were so many of these flowers, covering his view to the brim. They were an otherworldly white with specks of sunset red and six petals that seemed to curl towards a fragile looking stem. The flowers radiated a supple amount of energy. It was magic. Natural magic in the wild. Holy Ravok. 

His eyes bulged at the sight of these magic flowers. He didn’t know why he was so surprised to see them, but he knew deep down that this was an extremely rare sight. He basked in the magic the flowers were exuding for a few more tics before remembering the task he gave to himself. 

His eyes wandered around the space again, taking in all of the mesmerizing flowers. The walls were close to him on all sides, with a ceiling that went above him quite a ways. He turned to the left and spotted a large gap to a pathway in the cave. As he turned to his right he flinched a minuscule amount. Next to his side, only a few paces away, was a large furry beast.

He let out a small whimper before he got a decent look at the creature. Warmth filled his heart at the sight of the beast snuggling into a large and fluffy paw. He gut told him to calm down. That this giant beast was no danger to him. Others? Probably. Him personally? His gut said no. That might get him mauled though.

He scooted back a tad, trying to not flatten any of the flowers in his path away from the creature. It was a gorgeous color, very vivid. It was so poofy and soft looking that he could die from cuteness. Lance watched as the beast’s ears twitched, likely hearing the coo from him.

He tried so hard to keep the sound in. But it was so cute. Probably deadly. But so cute!

He took notice of the humongous wings on the beast’s back, the same vivid coloring as the floof on the main parts. He wanted to lay against the magnificent looking fuzz. He wanted to love the cutie with all his might. Too bad the beast startled awake from his squeal of adoration. 

The beast shook awake, taking its time to really puff itself out. It had a little bloop of its tongue poking out after the floofing session. Oh Seras, it was even more adorable. It was his time to die now. Heart stopping its beating from the crisis he was in. 

The beast tilted its massive head in his direction. Both parties were still, not moving a muscle. Of course that was interrupted by a squawk from under the beast. A small creature with silver scales and leathery wings pulled itself from underneath the mass of fuzz. The small one joined in the staring contest, making this a bit awkward. 

The two creatures were familiar. Familiar in ways he could not understand and it scared him. He did not understand why he could not recognize them. He knew though that he would be in no danger around the two. He even felt safe near them. Words drifted in his mind, but they weren’t anywhere near the front at the moment. Unable to think of what to say, he kept up the stare down.

The bigger creature huffed a little, setting a large paw on the….. Dragon(?). That has got to be it. It felt right so he was riding with it. It was small though, and that meant it was not grown. Right? Tell him he’s right. So a baby dragon? A kit? No. A cub? Definitely a no. A pup? Man, he was getting worse at guessing things. A whelp? Oh yeah, that’s it. 

The process of getting ideas took forever. He was stuck in his mind so long that he did not realize the giant beast shifted towards him, almost towering over, he was that close. Lance felt puffs of air on his forehead and he blinked. Shouting in surprise, he jerked back and accidentally crushed a couple flowers. He looked back at the poor things and grimaced. Then he swiveled his head back to the beast, right in time for a tongue to lick his face. 

“Aegan! How dare you!” He shrieked. Then he paused, tongue still on his face. “Is your name Aegan? Did I get that correct? Or is that just a hope my mind is not failing me?” He sunk into himself a small amount. 

The beast (Aegan? Maybe? He’s not really sure.) inched back, just enough room for a grin type thing to be seen on its maw. The beat of its tail could be heard thumping against its hind end, and its wings almost shivering in excitement. He was sure he got the name correct. Or this was just a very excitable beast.

“Maybe there is some hope for me. Of course there is. There is always hope!” He put on his most convincing grin. A grin that was mainly for him but he was hoping to convince Aegan and the small creature. Who he still did not know the name of. Seras. Now he had to take time to either remember or think of a new one. He did not want the little one to feel bad. 

Aegan settled down next to him as Lance thought about names for the dragon. He kept discarding name after name, never getting closer to anything that felt correct in any way. He zoned out after a while, barely feeling the time pass though afterwards he knew a decent amount had. Aegan rested his head in Lance’s lap, giving the boy a small comfort. He felt a weight on the other side of his lap and broke out of his trance. Glancing down, he caught the gaze of the whelp. Lance stared at the whelp’s eyes, almost as pretty as the sea.

He felt a pang of sadness and nostalgia in his chest. Nostalgia from what, for he could not remember any past so far. Eyes as pretty as the sea and scales as white as bone. Lance gasped as it hit him. 

“Is it Seabone! Please tell me it is so!” He smiled wide as the whelp started vibrating in excitement, looking like it would start bouncing off walls soon. It had to be a whelp, too much energy in the small thing.

“Oh my Seras, it is! So if I just stare hard enough at things, I might actually have a working thought.” He snorted at himself, finding humor for unknown reasons. “Well at least I am aware completely now that I will not be eaten.”

A grumble came from Aegan, the beast eyeing him from his lap. So Aegan was the judging type, huh? Good to know.

He glanced around the cavern, thinking about what to do now. In the cavern, it was just the three beings and flowers galore. He was hoping to spot another clue or something helpful to his situation, but there was nothing. Now he had to make a list of tasks to start with. Great. He looked towards the pathway that he assumed left the cavern. Otherwise where else would the path really end up?

“Should we see where that path leads? Oh, you moved immediately! Do you like exploring! Do you!” He was becoming excited himself seeing the dog...thing... getting ready to take off down the path in no time.

Lance moved to stand up, watching so he didn’t damage the flowers nearby. Both of his companions were already racing towards the path, almost leaving him behind in the dust. He chuckled at their behavior, slowly catching up with them. He was still scared, and worried, on why he couldn’t remember anything. He was also worried about why he had awoken in a cave. 

He was hoping he would maybe see things in the next couple quintants that might spark his memory. Or if that does not happen, just a place to stay until it does. It had taken so long to even get his companions' names let alone his, which he was sure was not correct, but close enough. He would just have to figure out his situation slowly. Maybe find a helping hand. He would be alright. He always was (He hoped so anyways).


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry.

Lance and his merry companions worked their way through the lengthy path. He was worried when they left the cavern that it would be blindingly dark. However, he was wrong, thankfully so. There were those brightly glowing flowers sparse throughout the way of the path. The glow was just enough to see by until he was to the next flower. They were his shining beacons in the dark, which he was highly glad for.

The trio had been walking for some time, and he was starting to feel an ache in his belly. More precisely? His stomach. He was hungry, an almost painful hunger to be exact. He wondered when he last ate, or why he did not have food near him in the cavern. He could not have survived without food, so where did he have food? Nowhere.

This whole waking up in a cave ordeal was really confusing him. It was making him feel faint and his head was attempting to keep pace with his racing thoughts to no avail. Or it could just be how long he has had to walk. No, he was not pouting about his circumstances. 

He could hear his steps lightly echoing in the long tunnel, the steps of his companions as well. Other than their steps, there was barely any noise. He ended up lost in his head again, wondering what event might happen next. Would he walk into an area he somehow recognized? Or would he be as lost as he currently is? All he knew was he wanted something to eat soon. Or to maybe be out of the tunnel. He hated being underground. Hated being in enclosed spaces or surrounded by nothing but stone and dirt. 

He was not happy. At all.

He was walking in a daze while leaning against Aegan, who had slowed down to match Lance’s pace. Seabone was comfortably resting on the giant’s back, looking properly snuggled in the beast’s fur. Lance had been so out of it that he had not realized there were other sounds coming from the far end of the tunnel. The end was still not visible however. When they reached the end, Aegan bumped Lance’s shoulder, knocking him slightly off balance. With a muffled screech he righted himself, glancing upwards at the exit they had finally reached.

“Well Seras.”

He could only look on in suffering as he thought of a solution to get out. You know, past a waterfall. He could only hope nobody in the group would drown. One could well and truly hope for such good luck. 

He glanced at the giant. “Aegan, can you swim?” 

A disappointed side-eye came from the beast alongside a small huff.

“All I asked was a reasonable question! Why do you have such judgement in you? How do you judge so well? I should not be able to tell that you are judging me! Where did you learn to do such a thing?”

Lance knew everything happening so far was weird, but why was he able to understand the facial expressions of a giant beast? 

“So I am making the judgement that since you offered me that sort of face for my reasonable question, that you do know how to swim. If you drown, it is not on my conscience you overly sassy dog.”

Lance yelped from the tail that whipped against his back. Great, now his back was throbbing on top of his already exhausting hunger. Oh, he will get the over fluffed beast for that. Maybe shave him. Or braid his fur in a way he would not be able to move. Some kind of revenge in the future.

“I will get you for that, beast!” He glared at the offending fluff. “Does the whelp know how to swim? And don’t you dare give me sass!”

He watched as Seabone twitched a little, otherwise not moving. Which means no answer. Well, he was going to witness one being drown. Too bad the giant fluff ball was not going to be it. Aegan kind of deserved it.

“Onwards now. Hope you slip Aegan.”

He took one more glance towards the opening outside. So he has no other way out of this cave other than to go through the waterfall. Great. A few steps were taken, hesitance laced throughout his body. He had a feeling this was about to be rough, and he was not looking forward to it.

The closer he got to the waterfall, the colder he felt. The spray was soaking his clothes, the ones that had finally dried from the walk to the entrance. He loved the smell of the fresh water. It was refreshing compared to the musty smell of the cave. He took a deep breath, muscles untensing a small amount.

It didn’t take him long to reach the actual waterfall. The roar was deafening this close. The only things he could hear were his heartbeat and his stilted breathing, though even then it was just barely. He turned to look to his side, making eye contact with Aegan. This is where they would have problems. He was a little shaken by this task. The waterfall was powerful and he was scared that one of them would end up lost in the water. He closed his eyes for a moment. He wanted to take in the sound of his surroundings.

He felt something warm lean on his shoulder and he gave a smile. Aegan felt steadying against him. Lance could trust Aegan with his life. He was absolutely sure of that.

“I am ready.” He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Peering at Aegan, he felt his resolve harden. He was ready to leave this cave despite all the beautiful flowers. “Let us leave this cave. I trust you will keep me alive.”

He could feel the amusement radiating off of the beast. The beast… No, HIS beast was amused Lance would ever think otherwise. His beast would give all of himself for Lance. Aegan was loyal to a fault, he could feel it. He felt a pang of sadness that he could not remember the reason why. He would just take his time little by little figuring his memory out. There were no other options.

Enough thinking. He would have plenty of time to pester himself later. It was time to leave. He patted Seabone awake, moving him slightly out of the way so Lance could get himself on top of his beast. A large amount of wiggling was involved, but he managed to situate himself comfortably in a space behind Aegan’s massive wings. Seabone perked his head up enough to view the waterfall. Lance could visibly see the fear in the whelp's posture.

“I’ve got you, Seabone. Do not worry. We are well protected.”

Lance gave a relieved smile towards Aegan, who had his neck turned weirdly to look at him. He was glad that Aegan was willing to have them on his back. Not that he was not large enough to hold them, just that it was a dangerous task ahead of them. He did not want to jump by himself. 

Seabone made a trilling noise as he stared at Lance. He shook himself a tad and crowded up against Lance’s thigh. Lance grinned as he pet Seabone’s smooth scales.

Aegan rumbled from beneath him. Startled, Lance inched closer to Seabone hoping they could stay next to each other in the oncoming peril.

“Alright Aegan, we are good to move. Take it easy though.”

Next thing Lance knew, they were rushing the last few steps towards the waterfall. He was dreading this. Completely and totally dreading this. It was going to be freezing, not to mention the pain from the water pressure. He attempted to brace himself against his beast, pulling Seabone against his chest with one arm while clutching onto a patch of Aegan’s fur with the other. 

He felt the moment they had entered the actual water. The feeling of being slammed by a boulder and then some. He felt the jerky movement of Aegan as he tried to make it through the solid wall of water. Time seemed to slow as his beast struggled to use his massive wings in the water. Lance did not understand how Aegan’s wings did not immediately fold under the water pressure but he was sure pleased that they were still able to operate.

With lungs straining for air, they burst out of the water at a crooked angle. Aegan had somehow managed to use his wings to fly away from the roaring falls, albeit being a stuttered pace. Lance gingerly opened his eyes, feeling the water sting at the edges. He took some gasping breaths, making sure he could calm his heart before looking where they were landing.

Oh, who was he trying to fool? Of course he happened to look around before being able to manage his breathing. He was too much of a fool for new experiences.

He was awed as he took in the sights below him. Well not too far below him, as Aegan was slowly descending to take a break after the rough exit. There were green trees almost as far as the eye could see. On the edge of the trees were some grey.... squares(?) seemed as if they were towering above lots of other squares. He attempted to not focus on that, as he was already confused in general.

Aegan had them heading for a patch of silver near the river that flowed from the waterfall. The waterfall was on a small mountain top, falling into a large winding river that led through the trees. As they moved closer to the ground, Lance realized the patch of silver was a small section of sand by the rivers edge.

Lance was excited to land. He wanted to see the forest and sit by the river. He was also hoping to perhaps find a couple berry bushes. He was still practically starving.

Aegan had happened to land harsher than Lance was prepared for. The moment they touched the ground, Lance and Seabone were practically flung off of his beast’s back. Lance made an loud oof sound, skidding slightly against the sand. He was extremely glad there were no rocks where they had settled. He did not want to deal with scrapes on top of hunger and exhaustion. 

And his skin was too pretty to ruin.

After the disorienting landing, Lance attempted to gather all of his limbs in a pile. A pile meant him in one spot which he was almost positive he wasn’t. He felt like he had been scattered to the winds and maybe splattered on the ground. His body was sore and his behind was definitely going to be aching in the next few quintants.

It was more than a few moments to gather his thoughts and even register his latest surroundings. 

The forest seemed even larger now that he was on the ground peering up at the trees that towered above. They were a rich green, and healthy with the glow of life. It seemed to be the beginning of a new season for there was fresh foliage that was overabundant throughout the area. Bushes of many kinds, saplings trying their best, and he could see large swaths of land covered in multiple hues of flowers.

Lance had no idea what had happened to him, no possible clues so far, but he felt a little more calm right now. He settled for a moment, relaxing in the sun that warmed him from the previous frost he had endured throughout the cave. This forest was giving him some well needed peace for his frayed nerves. He could only handle so many questions for himself.

A rumble startled him into opening his eyes. When did he close them? To his left was Aegan, who he could see a pout upon his beast’s muzzle. How?? 

“You flew well for what happened. Do not be upset, beautiful.” Lance felt guilty about having his beast do all the work for leaving the cave. There were not many options, however, that did not involve someone being lost. 

“You did extremely, positively, absolutely... Are-Are you just upset your fur is messed up?!” Lance shrieked in outrage. The overgrown beast was just mad about his fur?! Oh that vain beast would rue the day he worried Lance.

“Here I was feeling so guilty, and you are just upset that you look like a drowned rat?! How dare you! I give you my love and affection, and you throw it back in my face?! Do not give me that look! Oh, I am not overreacting!” 

A stone cold face. That was all Lance got from the beast for his worries. How rude.

“Seabone, you still deserve my love and affection, right?” Seabone gave a shrill cry, leaping into Lance’s open arms and nuzzling his chin with smooth scales. They kind of tickled.

“Ah yes, my favorite companion is now in my arms.” Lance gave Aegan a fierce glare.  
Aegan decided this conversation was not worth his time and proceeded to start the task of grooming himself.

Lance huffed his displeasure and set about figuring their next goal out. So, they made it out of that horrid cave. Now what? Did they attempt to go near the mountains? But would there be anything in that direction? Or should they make their way to those gray towers?

He pondered on the options for a while, but he was interrupted towards the end by an obscene noise. He gasped and looked down. How had he forgotten his hunger? First thing was to find food then he would worry about a destination. If that meant fish or berries, or hey even nuts, he absolutely wanted food. Hunger did not go away that easily. 

He sent a sharp eye to view the area for any kind of snack. He saw a small bush further down the river with what looked like berries. Or so he hoped. Practically skipping to the bush with a shine in his eyes, though that shine soon dulled, he was almost there when he saw it. The stupid bush was not covered in berries. It was covered by such tiny birds, but they were so pretty. Hey wait. He was tricked by birds!

He growled in frustration as his hunger reminded him of his aching stomach. Was the world trying to trick him? The Gods mocking his every move? He would just have to decide a path and keep a watchful eye out for anything that seemed edible. 

Lance whipped back towards his companions, a fire burning within his blue eyes. “Alright, time to go. I have food to find and hopefully a resting area can be found as well. Hurry now, time is ticking. On your feet… Or paws? Never mind that, food!” 

He stumbled towards the direction he remembered the gray towers being in. If anything, that seemed to be a weird town. If not, well, better luck next time or he might cry. There seemed to be a worn dirt path heading the gray towers way, and he set off at a brutal speed. A brutal speed that only lasted, at most, five doboshes. 

What could he say? He was too exhausted and hungry to keep that pace.

Once he was forced to slow down -from his body which betrayed him- he managed to keep a decent speed that should get him quite a distance down the path. The walk seemed to last forever with his aching body. No energy, the warm sun edging on burning, though at least it was not freezing anymore. He did not want to experience the same cold from the cave ever again.

As they all stayed on the path, his companions idling behind him, he once more spent some time appreciating his surroundings. His eyes drifted shut. He was highly enjoying the fresh air, but he soon caught scent in the breeze. The scent of food. The smell was deliciously mouthwatering. 

His eyes snapped open and he honed onto the direction the otherworldly scent had drifted from. 

He had to head there in that direction! No choice now.

Almost growling at his companions to get a move on, though he knew they would never think he was being too aggressive he felt awful for doing such a thing, he tried to pick up his sluggish body to make his way down the path even just a tic faster. He would find the very thing that smelt like such a divine dish. He could almost taste it on his tongue. 

He continued to move towards the sweet scent for decaphoebs. Alright, not decaphoebs. He was hungry! He did not care if he started to sound like a brat. He just wanted to devour whatever the source of the smell was, and perhaps nap in the sun afterwards. That was his next plan. A nap.

Daydreams of sunny napping were thrown out the window as he realized there was a clearing up ahead with a vague shape of a blurred building. A grin overtook his face as he made a final attempt at a mad dash towards the… home? Gods, he hoped it was a home and they would be willing to feed him. 

With a pounding heart he raced to the edge of the clearing the home was settled in. Thundering steps could be heard chasing after him. Lance practically ran into a tree at the end. He paused, hunched over and leaning against the trunk, to catch his breath and being almost overwhelmed by the same scent he followed from the beginning.

Letting the trunk go he staggered farther to get a good look at the home. It was gigantic, a pale blue shade, with very sleek sides. Gulping as he stepped forward, he took in the area surrounding the home. A few small buildings were cropped up around, along with a large garden type area. This place definitely had food, whether or not it was cooked.

“Hello? Is there anyone here?” He spoke softly, almost a whisper in the breeze. 

Glancing around, he wandered towards what he believed was the start of the garden. Despite not hearing them he knew his beasts were both directly behind him, ready to spring at any sign of threat. A tinge of black in his side vision had him whipping in that direction almost in a panic. 

At first glance he was not sure what he was looking at. Then it dawned on him. There, on the other side of the garden, was an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous person. Not just any stunning person, a man so handsome that Lance thought he might faint from seeing them. The man had jet black hair down to his shoulders, though the front was shorter for some odd reason -it worked somehow- and a sharp jawline that could probably cut him. 

But the real killer on the face of this man? His eyes. 

They were a rich purple, deeper than any flower he could remember seeing -not many sadly- and their burning gaze locked up every joint in Lance’s body and set him ablaze. He could feel his face burn to a crisp over nothing more than a look. Oh he was going to see the Gods soon. Soon meaning after he dies from his heart stopping.

Lance watches -still not moving- as the man scrunches his face in confusion at him. Neither say anything as the staring contest continues. After a pregnant silence, all Lance could hear in the almost silent clearing was…

“What the fuck is that?”


End file.
